Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Korea and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in South Korea: $1,596 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in South Korea
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South Korea Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
Learn more

Italy Living Index

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🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,596

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Korea and in Italy

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in South Korea and in Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,596 in South Korea versus $1,843 in Italy.

South Korea $1,596
Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,542 in South Korea versus $2,816 in Italy.

South Korea $2,542
Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,487 in South Korea versus $3,788 in Italy.

South Korea $3,487
Italy $3,788

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $1,044–$1,848 in South Korea. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in South Korea costs about 13% less than in Italy on average.

Both countries sit above the global median: South Korea 17% above, Italy 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.44 ₩9,879

$20.46 €18.35

-63.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.54 ₩59.1K

$79.5 €71.3

-43.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 ₩8,644

$11.15 €10.00

-41.61%

Cappuccino

$3.83 ₩5,084

$2.04 €1.83

87.75%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₩2,113

$3.10 €2.78

-48.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 ₩1,033

$1.40 €1.25

-44.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ₩5,093

$5.51 €4.95

-30.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 ₩5,872

$5.74 €5.15

-23.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 ₩2,920

$1.57 €1.41

40.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.96 ₩3,931

$2.38 €2.14

24.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 ₩4,694

$2.90 €2.60

22.07%

Eggs

$3.22 ₩4,271

$4.07 €3.65

-20.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.36 ₩17.7K

$17.44 €15.64

-23.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 ₩11.8K

$12.56 €11.26

-29.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.17 ₩34.7K

$20.17 €18.09

29.75%

Apples (1kg)

$8.49 ₩11.3K

$2.58 €2.32

229.07%

Banana (1kg)

$3.39 ₩4,495

$2.19 €1.96

54.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.42 ₩8,516

$2.68 €2.40

139.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.87 ₩7,795

$3.27 €2.93

79.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.89 ₩5,166

$1.90 €1.71

104.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 ₩3,774

$1.82 €1.63

56.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 ₩3,568

$1.57 €1.41

71.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 ₩1,533

$0.55 €0.49

109.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 ₩4,544

$6.69 €6.00

-48.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.56 ₩22.0K

$7.99 €7.16

107.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 ₩2,821

$1.77 €1.59

20.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₩3,860

$2.35 €2.11

23.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ₩1,457

$1.91 €1.71

-42.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.35 ₩64.2K

$43.44 €38.96

11.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,667

$5.62 €5.04

-37.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 ₩867

$1.71 €1.54

-61.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.13 ₩12.1K

$33.64 €30.17

-72.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ₩1,833

$2.03 €1.82

-32.02%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.3K ₩40.2M

$35.3K €31.7K

-14.31%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$30.0K ₩39.8M

$36.7K €33.0K

-18.39%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$210 ₩278.4K

$227 €203

-7.43%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$40.27 ₩53.5K

$11.59 €10.40

247.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.18 ₩32.1K

$30.38 €27.25

-20.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.8 ₩71.4K

$51.8 €46.44

3.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.81 ₩22.3K

$23.70 €21.26

-29.07%

Cinema Ticket

$11.50 ₩15.3K

$10.60 €9.51

8.49%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$985 ₩1.3M

$568 €509

73.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.7K ₩31.4M

$11.5K €10.3K

105.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 ₩78.2K

$90.5 €81.2

-34.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.48 ₩60.4K

$38.55 €34.58

17.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 ₩104.0K

$103 €92.1

-23.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 ₩129.7K

$131 €118

-25.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 ₩856.2K

$826 €740

-21.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 ₩591.9K

$646 €580

-31.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,711 ₩2.3M

$1,400 €1,256

22.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$999 ₩1.3M

$1,054 €946

-5.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.8K ₩20.9M

$3,662 €3,285

330.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,299 ₩11.0M

$2,301 €2,064

260.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,345 ₩3.1M

$1,886 €1,692

24.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.23

3.56

18.82%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for South Korea: October 24, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

South Korea

$451 28.3%

Italy

$348 18.9% 22.9% $103

Accommodation & Living

South Korea

$446 27.9%

Italy

$646 35.1% 44.9% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Korea

$274 17.2%

Italy

$269 14.6% 2.1% $5.6

Eating Out

South Korea

$163 10.2%

Italy

$279 15.1% 71.4% $116

Clothing & Footwear

South Korea

$126 7.9%

Italy

$163 8.9% 29.4% $37

Sport & Entertainment

South Korea

$77 4.8%

Italy

$73 4% 5% $3.8

Getting Around

South Korea

$60 3.7%

Italy

$65 3.5% 9.7% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $493 in South Korea, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $924 in Seoul vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $2,148 in South Korea, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 48% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 74% more in Italy.

Salaries are 14% higher in South Korea, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Korea.

Good to know

🇰🇷 South Korea

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

06:29 6:29 AM

8 h behind South Korea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,466,201

58,850,717

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.53 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.76 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.53 USD). 1 EUR = 1,480 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.76 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Korea Italy 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

South Korea
Italy

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

South Korea vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,596 in South Korea, there’s a 15% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $493 in South Korea. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: South Korea wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.